Tony Bennett's Daughters Claim Brother Had 'Unchecked Control' over Father's Finances in New Lawsuit

• Tony Bennett’s daughters have filed a new lawsuit against their brother
• In the lawsuit, Antonia and Johanna claim their brother Danny had “unchecked control” over their father’s finances
• They are seeking an undisclosed amount of damages and asking that Danny be removed as a trustee from the family trust

Tony Bennett’s daughters Antonia and Johanna are extending their legal battle against their brother their brother Danny.

In a lawsuit filed on Monday, March 31 and obtained by PEOPLE, the late jazz icon’s daughters claim they want to “protect their father’s wishes” against “unlawful conduct” from their brother.

They also allege that their brother had “unchecked control” over their father’s finances, before and after his death at age 96 in July 2023 and “has abused, and continues to abuse” his power for his own significant financial gain.

PEOPLE reached out to Danny’s attorney for comment and did not receive an immediate response.

In the filing, Antonia, 50, and Johanna, 40, claim that Danny has been acting “as though he is the sole beneficiary of Tony’s assets and accountable to no one,” and allege he’s been withholding money, as well as items that have “deep sentimental value.”

“Tony maintained a loving and devoted relationship with all of his children and his estate plan expressly provides that all four children be treated equally,” the suit states.

Allegedly, Danny “refused for months to even give Johanna and Antonia access” to Tony’s apartment so they could claim the property that belonged to them.

However, they claimed that Danny let a reporter and photographer from The New York Times Magazine visit and photograph their father’s belongings for a story about “what various deceased celebrities left behind after they died,” per the filing.

“The centerpiece of the photos published by The New York Times Magazine was Tony’s piano, which Tony specifically bequeathed to his daughter Antonia, but which she was prohibited from seeing and would not actually receive until months later,” the suit states.

According to the filing, when Antonia was finally permitted to enter her late father’s apartment in 2024, the aforementioned piano “was in terrible condition and was being held in a manner that caused further damage to the instrument.”

She claims that her lawyer “had to negotiate with Danny and his counsel” so that they could “reimburse Antonia for the costs she incurred in having [it] delivered to her residence.”

Per the suit, Danny allegedly “repeatedly pressured Antonia to sell the piano” at an auction “because it would hopefully cause other items to sell for a higher price.”

The filing also claims that Tony’s wardrobe was missing.

“Danny’s counsel simply reported that most of Tony’s clothing was donated to charity without notice to Johanna and Antonia,” it states, claiming that items were sold, donated or “discarded without notice.”

According to the sisters, they have faced “irreparable” harm as “their father’s property that was specifically bequeathed to them is gone and is irreplaceable,” per the suit.

“It also became patently clear to Johanna and Antonia that Danny’s interest in Tony’s tangibles was purely financial,” it states.

Antonia and Johanna are asking for an undisclosed amount of damages and for their brother to be removed as a trustee of the family trust.

In January, months after filing a suit against Danny, Antonia and Johanna claimed that their brother mismanaged Tony’s money for years — and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the family trust.

The sisters initially filed a lawsuit against Danny in June over missing assets in their dad’s estate following his death.

While Antonia and Johanna are beneficiaries of The Tony Bennett 1994 Family Trust, along with their brother Dae, Danny is sole trustee.

In November 2024, Danny filed a motion seeking to transfer the petition to the surrogate’s court or dismiss it — and on Jan. 3, his sisters hit back in a motion asking the court to deny Danny’s request due to their “serious concerns” about the “mismanagement” of his role as trustee.

“Danny acted in multiple, conflicting fiduciary capacities for an extended period prior to Tony’s death and took (for himself and his children) significant funds from the Family Trust,” their filing, which was obtained by PEOPLE, read.

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It continued: “Moreover, as publicized by Danny to various media outlets, at some point prior to Tony’s death, Tony entered a phase of diminished capacity, which means Tony was no longer able to act as co-Trustee, leaving Danny to serve as sole Trustee of the Family Trust with no oversight.”

At the time, PEOPLE reached out to Danny’s attorney for comment.

A source close to Danny told PEOPLE that Tony and Danny had a “successful partnership” for over 40 years that “speaks for itself.”

“Tony thoughtfully planned his estate to reflect his wishes and generously provided for his loved ones,” the insider said. “Danny has always acted in Tony’s best interest and has worked diligently to ensure his father’s plans were honored and carried out. It is unfortunate that some are choosing to dispute his decisions rather than honoring Tony’s legacy.”